The Week in Review

Tim and Steve will walk through the logistics and expectations of the week.

Steve Armstrong, Firm Leader
Tim Leishman, Firm Leader

The Producer-Manager Dilemma: A Case Study

The case study will focus on the dilemmas facing partners who have to maintain thriving practices (and a personal life) while also taking on leadership roles. The discussion will conclude with an exercise that asks the participants to reflect about their priorities and how they allocate time among them.

Steve Armstrong, Firm Leader
Tim Leishman, Firm Leader

Leadership Styles and Managing Culture

• The range of effective leadership styles
• Matching the style to the situation
• Law firm cultures and why they matter
• Managing culture to enhance a firm’s performance

Steve Armstrong, Firm Leader
Tim Leishman, Firm Leader

Trends in Legal Markets

• Competitive challenges in the global market for legal services
• Discussion of developments in participants’ own markets

Debra Baker, GrowthPlay

Conducting an Effective Strategic Analysis

• Conducting the due diligence: what do you need to know before you think about strategic objectives?
• Understanding your market position, then identifying potential risks and opportunities
• Analyzing the profitability and sustainability of lines of business
• Creating alignment: taking a strategic approach to staffing, organizational structure, systems, etc.
• Preparing for different competitive and economic scenarios

Debra Baker, GrowthPlay

Strategic Planning Processes

• Building and maintaining support
• Designing an effective implementation process
• Delegating effectively and creating accountability
• Monitoring progress

Debra Baker, GrowthPlay

A Case Study: Creating Strategy

The case study will describe a firm or practice group that has traditionally had a steady flow of work from major companies in its jurisdictions, including large international companies. That work is now under attack from two directions: local firms that are offering to do some of it more cheaply, and major international firms that are going after the higher-end cross-border work, and that are rumored to be opening or expanding their local offices. In the face of these pressures, there is growing tension between groups of partners who have different visions for the firm’s future (expansion vs. focusing on areas of traditional strength). What should the firm’s strategy be to counter these trends, and how should it implement the strategy? The case will be accompanied by a description of the firm’s relative position in its market (e.g., size, prestige, and profitability compared to its chief competitors). (These facts may change as the case is developed.)

Debra Baker, GrowthPlay

Building Your Lawyers’ Practices and Careers

• Sustaining engagement and motivation among younger lawyers
• Accelerating partners’ development
• Effective planning and guidance models for partners
• What are your firm’s next steps?

Steve Armstrong, Firm Leader
Tim Leishman, Firm Leader

Leading Business Development Initiatives

What is the most effective strategy for generating more business?

• The range of possible initiatives: a discussion
• Focusing on teams and individuals
• Differing roles leaders can play

Steve Armstrong, Firm Leader
Tim Leishman, Firm Leader

Facilitating Effective Collaboration

• The business case for more collaboration
• Determining when collaboration is worth the effort
• Overcoming obstacles and measuring outcomes

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers

• Playing to strengths: differing styles of success
• The role of “sponsors” and how to support them

Steve Armstrong, Firm Leader
Tim Leishman, Firm Leader

Taking Control of Your Firm's Finances

• Collecting and reporting the data you really need
• Focusing on small changes that can make large differences to profitability
• Tracking and improving profitability by practice areas and lines of business
• Building and monitoring budgets effectively

Robert Mowbray, Taylor Mowbray LLP

Introduction to the Case Study Robert Mowbray, Taylor Mowbray LLP

An Analytical Case Study

This case will be based on summary data for a fictional firm: productivity, realization, leverage, average tenure for associates, average billing-to-collection cycle, a breakdown of overhead, average margins for each level of lawyer, etc. The participants will be asked to spot areas for possible improvement.
Format:

• Breakout groups (five people in each). Each group will have an interactive computerized spreadsheet that will demonstrate the effect on profitability of changes to various metrics.
• Debriefing of breakout discussions within the entire group.
• Concluding summary by instructor.

Robert Mowbray, Taylor Mowbray LLP

Structuring Fees and Managing Matters in a Changed Economy

• Analyzing the effect of discounts on profitability
• Negotiating and managing caps, blended rates, fixed fees, success fees, and other alternative fee arrangements
• Managing profitability for a fixed-fee arrangement

An exercise, using computerized spreadsheets that will demonstrate the effects on a matter’s profitability of different approaches to staffing it and to allocating tasks among the team’s members.

Robert Mowbray, Taylor Mowbray LLP

Leading a Group Towards a Common Goal

• A systematic approach to bringing about change
• An exercise based on a scenario: tactics for moving a group forward
• Planning your next steps: what change do you want to accomplish, and how will you move forward?

Steve Armstrong, Firm Leader
Tim Leishman, Firm Leader

Leadership Conversations

• Managing difficult conversations
• Coaching colleagues

This segment will mix brief presentations with discussions about challenging situations such as under-performance, the delivery of criticism, and disputes among peers.

Steve Armstrong, Firm Leader
Tim Leishman, Firm Leader

Your Next Steps

Using a simple planning form, participants will be given a final opportunity to reflect on the program’s content, apply it to their firms and their roles, and decide their next steps as leaders in their firms.

Steve Armstrong, Firm Leader
Tim Leishman, Firm Leader